Lost Whiskey Retrieved from Antarctic
The Discovery in Antarctica via Wikipedia
In November, I put up a post about famous Antarctic explorer Earnest Shackleton…or rather, about two cases of scotch whiskey left behind from his 1908 expedition and chilled for over a hundred years in antarctic ice!
I mentioned then that the Antarctic Heritage Trust of New Zealand was hatching plans to travel to Shackleton’s Ross Island camp to extract the whiskey. Well, according to a report from Associated Press, the group is now doing just that, using special equipment to drill through the summer ice.
Happily, in addition to the two crates of liquor previously found frozen beneath the compound, the expedition has uncovered three more. In addition to whiskey, there are two crates of brandy: one from Mackinlay & Co, and one from Australia’s Hunter Valley Distillery. The Heritage Trust is hoping to extract some well-preserved specimens, but many of the bottles will have to remain below the ice for historic purposes, according to the to conservation guidelines set by the 12 Antarctic Treaty nations.
Whyte and Mackay, the distillers who now distribute McKinlay and Co. products, are eager for samples of Shackleton’s scotch, in order to conduct a series of tests that will determine whether they can recreate the lost blend…or whether it’s worth it.
[via The Star]
